“X” Marks the Spot

As a review, last week, we were introduced to our third kind, the Reduncinae, a group of antelope consisting of the waterbucks and reedbucks. As we wrapped up last week, I gave you all a clue about this week’s created kind. Did anyone figure it out? Let us know!

This week we head to the Democratic Republic of Congo. If you don’t know where that is, go look up a map of Africa and find it there. Got it? Good. While the Democratic Republic of Congo may be a big country, we’re looking for something small. In fact, this species has a maximum size of just barely one inch.1 This tiny toad is a forest dweller in the tropics, with rows of warts running from snout to tail. They produce around 30 eggs per clutch.2 The eggs are tiny, a mere 2 mm in size and lack color.3

Figure it out yet? This week is a really tough one. There is very little information out there on this kind. The scientific literature yields very few papers, and only just over 100 of these tiny toads have ever been collected.4 So if you figured out that we’re talking about the Parker’s Tree Toad kind, give yourself some bonus points and maybe ask your parents for your favorite snack.

Rainforest in the Congo
Ndalilo koli, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you find the Parker’s Tree Toad in the above image of the Congo rainforest?5 This toad is so elusive that there are few recorded images of it!

Want to test your knowledge? Try out this crossword puzzle!

Next week, we keep looking for amphibians, but we have to take a trip to Southeast Asia. Your clue for the week is:

Clue

This kind has twelve species and has special fleshy webbed feet.